GUIDE to GIVING
Get involved. Be informed. Share the Mission.
Every gift. Every family. Every year.
Makes a difference!
In 1958 Asheville Christian Academy was founded on an education vision, lots of prayer, and generous giving. Those who came before us gave in ways that have blessed future generations. Now, we have the opportunity to pay blessings forward to those coming after us as philanthropy continues to be a critical component that allows our mission to come alive through every aspect of the school. The impact of Asheville Christian goes beyond graduation as our alumni pursue college and career with a passion to serve and lead, restore culture, and follow Christ. Every family – past, present, extended, and new – is a critical part of the Asheville Christian community, and each plays a role in sustaining and growing our culture and continuing the foundation on which the school was established through prayer and generosity. I invite you to learn more about how you and your family can make an impact at Asheville Christian with this “Guide to Giving.” With so many ways to engage, we hope this overview of our giving opportunities will help you plan and determine the most meaningful way for you and your family to get involved. Thank you for investing in the Asheville Christian community. God bless,
Diane Poole, Director of Development diane.poole@ashevillechristian.org
74 RIVERWOOD ROAD, SWANNANOA, NC 28778 828-581-2200 | ASHEVILLECHRISTIAN.ORG
Get INVOLVED. From your early years at ACA through your child’s graduation, we are a community to support and encourage each other in our mission. • Parent Teacher Fellowship - As an ACA parent, you are already a member of this group. You will see events as well as calls for volunteers and other ways to bless our teachers and staff throughout the year. • Parenting Together Series - Attend one or all of these events, and bring a friend. These well-known guest speakers provide great insight and inspiration for the Christian parenting journey. • Corporation Membership - Join this group by application prior to October 15th each school year, enabling you to vote on new Board members at our spring Corporation Meeting. Membership is open to qualified current parents, guardians, grandparents, and more.
Be INFORMED. We take care not to send out too many emails, so the ones we do send are full of important reminders, dates, and events. Please take the time to read them and mark your calendar. • Grade or level-specific (Lower/Middle/Upper School) electronic newsletters. • Twice-monthly Between the Lions, our electronic school-wide newsletter. • Parent emails, as needed. • Lions’ Share, our quarterly magazine highlighting campus activities, notable students, staff, alumni, our Board of Directors, financial reports, and more. • Website parent resources at ashevillechristian.org/parents. • Social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Share the MISSION. We each have a story about what brought us to this school. We each have reasons why we love it here. We each have seen changes in our children because of the love their teachers pour into them. We ask that you share your ACA experience with others – your neighbors, family, and church friends. You are our best way of letting others know what it means to be part of our community and helping us grow our presence in Western North Carolina.
Philanthropy at Asheville Christian Academy Defined as “the desire and active effort to help other people,” philanthropy at ACA is part of our DNA. It is in everything we do—educating students, encouraging teachers and staff, inviting all families into community, sharing the love of Jesus and more. There are many ways to give back at Asheville Christian. Your time, talents, and treasure are all beneficial to and a necessary part of our school culture. We could not do it without you!
“WHY SHOULD I GIVE WHEN I ALREADY PAY TUITION?” This is the most-asked question in private school fundraising. We cover our expenses through two means: tuition and fundraising. With the goal of making a quality Christian education affordable for our families, tuition funds 85% of the cost of an ACA education. The rest is bridged by our generous parents, grandparents, and donors through annual fundraising efforts.
Capital Campaign A typical capital campaign is a short-term fundraising effort designed to raise a specific amount of money to build assets and capacity. Phase I of the recent “Deep & Wide” capital campaign provided us with a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning facility and a golf training center with cutting-edge technology. Phase II of the campaign expanded the lower school by six classrooms and workspaces and added six tennis courts on our west campus. All capital campaigns are 100% donor-funded.
Special Interest Giving This area of giving is often parent-led, identifying a critical need and stepping in to fund it. For example, our outdoor batting center, completed in Spring 2020, allows for much-needed training space for our varsity baseball team. This project was funded exclusively by past and current baseball families who recognized the need and committed financial support to make it a reality.
Endowment Giving WAYS TO GIVE AT ACA The ACA Fund The annual giving campaign is how we pay for our needs beyond tuition. It provides resources for immediate enhancements of educational programs, athletics, fine arts, and activities, and your gift is tax deductible. Please join us as we seek 100% participation in The ACA Fund each year from our Board of Directors, from our faculty and staff, and from our families! Together, you positively impact the experience of every child. In the past few years, this fund enabled us to provide professional development, have a full-time security resource officer, provide improved campus security, lease technology throughout campus for remote learning, extend financial assistance to 40% of our families, and much more. The effort runs from the end of September through early December, and every gift makes a difference. When you give to The ACA Fund, you make a quality Christian education possible for children from five counties in Western North Carolina.
Staff Love Offering Collected each December, this goes directly to the faculty and staff. It is encouraged in lieu of gifts as a tangible way to bless them for their service.
Our Mission
Endowment giving is invested, with the income providing annual funding support of our top priorities. It ensures ACA can sustain its vision, offers flexibility during challenging economic times, and awards financial support to families in need. Endowment funds are a gift from those who have loved ACA to generations who will experience it for years to come.
Planned Giving / Legacy Gifts The ACA Legacy Society honors families who have included us in their wills or other estate plans. There are planned giving options available that allow an individual to benefit from current income, capital gains, and estate tax laws. These charitable choices can benefit you, your family, and the mission of ACA, leaving a legacy for generations to come. These gifts may be made through a will, IRA, and several special charitable trusts. Often the most impactful and significant of a donor’s To give lifetime, planned gifts do not affect current cash today, flow, and many provide tax-favorable benefits, scan here: even income, to the donor and beneficiaries. Notify Diane Poole, Director of Development, if you have ACA in your estate planning. It is not necessary to share the expected gift value. Unless specifically designated, planned gifts received by ACA will support the general endowment fund.
Seeking to serve Jesus Christ and uphold his pre-eminence, Asheville Christian Academy, in committed partnership with Christian parents, provides a Gospel-centered education to shepherd and inspire Christ-oriented lives within a community of grace and truth.
Multiply your gift by making it a recurring gift or matching gift (with qualifying companies).
EVERYDAY WAYS TO GIVE Affinity Programs Your everyday purchases can benefit our school when you participate in one or all the programs. An affinity program is a partnership between a nonprofit organization and a business, where the business offers exclusive services or rates to members, while the nonprofit earns a portion of the sale. Through this relationship, both business and nonprofit may enjoy an increase in revenue as well as member engagement.
Benefits of an Affinity Program Affinity programs are an additional source of revenue for ACA. Families buy a service or product through a business that has partnered with us, and the school receives a percentage of the sale as a reward. The business benefits from the sale, and ACA gains revenue from its rewards.
Our current programs: Box Tops - Download the Box Tops for Education app and scan your receipt for eligible purchases. ACA will receive ten cents per purchase.
Lands’ End Rewards We receive money back for every purchase made using our school code: 900125063.
Harris Teeter - Link your HT card to ACA at HT Together in Education webpage. Re-link your cards to ACA every August. An email is needed.
Office Depot - Use school code (in store or online) and Office Depot will donate 5% in school supplies back to ACA. Our school ID: 70060335
Ingles Tools for Schools Email your Ingles card number or a picture of it to ptf@ashevillechristian. org. After the first year, your number will be re-linked every year in August. You do not need to send it in again unless your number changes. We are happy to accept grandparents’ and family members’ card numbers too.
Publix - Sign up or log in to Club Publix, click Publix Partners, and choose ACA as your school to support. (This must be repeated every July.) Enter your phone number at checkout or pay with your Publix app. School Supply Kits - By purchasing your K4-8th graders’ supplies through our optional offer each spring, we receive money back.
Thank you to all of our generous donors, past and present! If you would like to discuss any of the ways to give mentioned in this booklet, contact Diane Poole, Director of Development at diane.poole@ashevillechristian.org or 828-581-2206.